TMI

As I reflect on this week TMI, or Too Much Information, is the best description I have. It’s not because I don’t like having information (as a writer I thrive on “knowing things”), it’s just that so much of the information I’ve been exposed to this week was frivolous and/or speculative.

For starters, how important is Britney showing up at school to pick up her kids? Or that her license case was postponed? Yet there’s footage, humorous headlines (i.e. Britney scares kids!), and several news stories stemming from yet another disturbed event in the pop singer’s life.

And how many ways can you analyze the Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach, SC? We’ve seen the footage and it’s pretty obvious. Hillary and Barack STRONGLY disagree. We don’t need an expert to point that out. We also don’t need an expert to decipher what they really meant. I saw the coverage and I think they were pretty clear in saying what they meant.

But what really made me think about this is the Heath Ledger coverage. If I were his family I would be EXTREMELY upset with the way mainstream media is covering his death. The autopsy was INCONCLUSIVE!!! Can you please wait until there is a confirmed cause of death? All of the speculation is absurd, especially since a clear answer should be available in days. The argument that journalists should focus more on gathering the facts, not publishing a sensationalized story at all costs, could definitely use this as a case in point.

So, as I go into next week I’m keeping my eyes open for TMI – whether it’s experts overanalyzing political candidates, the latest update on Britney or journalists making assumptions without all of the facts. And when I see it I’m tuning it out. I need room in my mind for proven information, or at least stories that will make me feel good…